The worth of a lock of hair
by Just Miki
Summary: I didnt know what was wrong. But i knew my brother was broken. I gave him some glue so he could be fixed. I dont know why everyone was smiling at me through their tears. Buts its ok cause my brother told me "Thank you." with a grin. So its ok


Heh, I don't know how well this will work out, but this was inspired by a commercial I saw. It is very rare that any form of T.V means something, but the clip I saw….heh it was worth a great deal.

-Just Miki (ß Cried when she saw it….'sweatdrop')

Nasuki was 4 years old , so such she didn't understand much, but being three years old did not mean she was oblivious. She watched curiously as her parents got stressed and grew solid worry lines on their faces. She saw that Her big Brother Naruto grow quiet, and tiered. Everyone was gone a lot. They where at a huge boring building that smelled weird. Naruto told her it was called a hospital.

Nasuki missed when her Mama would sweep her into her arms every morning. And when Papa would tussle her hair, and tell her she looked like Rapunzel. She missed playing with her brother most of all. Nasuki wasn't sure why these things stopped happening but she figured they would come back once he Brother got fixed.

See Nasuki wasn't sure what was wrong with him, but best she could tell he was broken. Something called cancer had broken him. Nasuki wasn't sure what that was. One day at breakfast while she and mama and papa ate and Naruto pushed around his food, Nasuki worked up the courage to ask what "Cancer" was. She knew she shouldn't have asked. Because the second it came out of her mouth everyone at the table froze.

She looked at them guiltily. To her surprise she felt a hand muss up her long gold hair. She turned to her Big Brother who was grinning at her. "And I thought you knew everything!" He teased. Nasuki pouted. Then Naruto got a thoughtful look on his face. "What is cancer huh?…..Nasuki do you remember when you had that doll that walked around by itself?" Naruto questioned.

Nasuki nodded. "it broke." She recalled. "That's right." Naruto agreed. "It wasn't anybodies fault, something inside of it just went wrong, and it didn't work like it was supposed to…that's a bit like what is happening to me. I just got broken a bit." Nasuki bit her lip. A habit she picked up from Mama, Will you be fixed like my doll was?" She asked. Naruto's face got a worn out look to it. "We're going to try." Papa broke in determinedly.

Nasuki sat in her chair for a moment. _So brother is broke like my doll was?_ she thought. Then her face lit up, and she jumped off of the chair and ran out of the kitchen. "Nasuki!" Mama called after her. Nasuki didn't answer. A couple of minutes later a slightly rag-tag looking 4 year old came back into the kitchen. She walked straight up to her brother, and held out her hand. "For you" She explained.

Naruto picked up the offered item and stared at it. "…..um what is it?" Nasuki beamed. "Its glue! Papa fixed my doll with it, now you can be fixed too!" It was obvious really. So Nasuki didn't understand when Mama beamed at her through tears, or why Papa swept her into his arms and held her tight. She figured it was ok though, cause later when Nasuki was in bed, her big brother came in silently, and layed down next to her and wrapped his arm around her. "_Thank you_." He said his voice choked. She curled into him. And as she fell asleep she saw her brother clench his fist around the tube of glue that he still had clutched in his fist.

Nasuki knew there was something wrong with her brother, but she didn't know it was bad enough that he had to go away, and live in the place called the hospital. Nasuki didn't like that they had taken her brother away and she often pulled on Mamas skirts and asked when Naruto was coming back. One day when Nasuki had asked just that, Mama had set down the rolling pin she had been using, and wiped her hands on her apron.

"Sit down honey." Mama gestured to the kitchen table. Nasuki climbed into Papas chair. She knew he wouldn't mind cause he was with Naruto right now. "Nasuki baby, You know how you said your big brother needed to be fixed?" Nasuki nodded "Well right now that's what the people at the hospital are trying to do, they are giving Naruto something called "Chemo" to try and fix him." Nasuki thought about it "Then brother can come home?" She asked. Mama got a sad face that Nasuki didn't like. "If it works….if it works he can come home." Nasuki hated the word "if"

One day, the very best day in Nasukis whole life. The phone rang, Papa picked it up and Nasuki looked up from her coloring book with mild curiosity. She watched as Papas face froze, then his eyes grew wide, and for the first time in Nasuki 4 and 3 quarter years of life, she watched as Papa burst in to tears and sobbing, Papa fell to his knees.

"Papa!" Nasuki cried, she ran over to him. Nasuki was panicking. What should she do? Was Papa broken now too? So Nasuki did the only thing she knew how. She wrapped her little arms around Papa "Its ok, its ok." She said. Just like Mama said when Nasuki cried. "Yes" Papa agreed through his tears "it is going to be ok now. Thank god, things might just be ok." Nasuki hesitated. "You ok Papa." Papa pulled out of her arms and then picked her up and spun her around. "Narutos coming home! Do you hear that Natsuki? Your big brothers is better and he is coming home!" He placed his daughter down and she stared up at him for a while.

"Natsuki?" He asked slowly. And then Natsuki cried too. "He's coming home." She choked out with a little kid grin at her Papa. He knelt down and brushed away her tears. Ignoring the wet drops on his own face. "That's right, its time we were a whole family again."

20 miles away with a phone to her ear. Mama was smiling with tears in her own eyes. She looked down at the hospital bed she was sitting by, and smoothed the creases out of the blankets covering her son. She listened quietly through the phone to the other half of her family and smiled. Time to go home.

Mama and Papa where going to pick up big brother. Nasuki was in full swing. Run around the house and jumping off the couch. For once Mama and Papa just smiled and let her do what she wanted. Untill it was time for them to go get Naruto. "It's going to be just like before!" Nasuki told her parents with a smile. He paused in her quest for destruction when she was Mama and Papa share a look. Mama set down her purse and seated her self on the couch. "Come her." Mama called. Patting the seat next to her.

Nasuki sat down. "Honey.' Mama began. "Your brother had had it rough, and he's fought really hard, so when he gets home he's going to need a lot of sleep." Mama exsplained. Nasuki frowned, She didn't want that. She wanted her ever bubbly and sun shiny ball of energy, that used to be her brother. "But he will get better and then it will be just like before." Mama added, after seeing Nasuki's face.

Nasuki nodded slowly. As long as her brother was here, and she could hug him and steal his dessert when ever he needed her too, Then it would be fine. She had missed him so much, she had even asked Mama 'what if Naruto doesn't get fixed and never comes back?' Mamas color in her face had drained away. Mama had gone in her room and cried that day. Papa had said nothing just picked Nasuki up and rocked her. Nasuki hadn't asked after that. Just waited for her brother to come back.

"Nasuki." Mama continued, "I need you to understand something." Nasuki stared at Mama. "Your brother is better now but he still needs to heal….Naruto looks a little different then he used to." Nasuki tilted her head to the side. "Did he grow horns cause he was bad?" She asked "Cause brother told me if I was bad I'd grown horns."

Mama ignored Papas chuckles. "No sweetie. But if he does its god cursing him for all the pranks he pulled on the nurses." Mama mumbled. "NO honey. Naruto he….he's is thinner then he used to be, and….Nasuki do you remember how we told you Naruto was broken like your doll? And you told us to use glue?" Nasuki nodded. "Well the….glue they used to help your brother it….it made all his hair fall out." Mama said softly.

Nasuki's eyes widened. Brothers hair? It was blond just like Nasukis long hair. All of Nasukis life she had been told she had beautiful hair, she imagined how she would feel if it was all gone. Nasukis lower lip wobbled. "It will grow back." Papa assured. Nasuki just bent her head and let her bangs cover her eyes. Mama and Papa bother hugged Nasuki and left her with the old lady baby-sitter. Who fell asleep right away.

As Nasuki sat there on the couch she pondered all sorts of things. after a while the young brave girl slowly climbed off the couch, and made her way to Mamas room. She moved stifly to her mamas desk drawer. After a moments of sifting through it Nasuki found what she was looking for. Grasping her new found treasure, she quietly made her way to the bathroom.

Nasuki flicked on the lights, and pulled her little stepping stool close to the sick so she could stand on it and see the mirror. The 4 year old fingered her own locks and studied her face in the mirror. Out the corner of her eye, through the bathroom doorway and in the hall she could see the picture of her family on the wall. Naruto was in it. it was form a while ago, when Nasuki was a kid. And not almost five like she was now. She first looked at herself in the picture, with her bright blue eyes and long golden locks.

then she studied her brother.

Tears ran down the young girls cheeks and after a moment. a soft snipping sound could be heard.

Nasuki bent over and gathered the golden strands off the floor and sink setting them in the hammock shape she had made with her shirt by holding the hem up with one hand. She paused as her ears picked up the sound of footsteps and voices outside the front door.

She carefully holding her shirt, ran to the door, she stood on tip toe and turned the door knob. In front of it. Mama and Papa where laughing and smiling in a way it seemed they hadn't in so long. Nasuki watched as both of them froze when they layed eyes on their young daughters mismatched, home-done cropped hair.

Her bangs where all sort of uneven and her hair stood up in clumps short as a boys hair. Most important to Nasuki was the soft smile that was lingering on the face that she knew so well. The boys eyes sparkled gently and he stepped forward and knelt down in front of his baby sister.

She carefully held out and tiny hand that was grasping wild strands of blond locks. he looked down at it and gently took the offered gift. Then with his free hand, he slowly pulled off the orange base ball cap. Revealing his hairless head. With tears running down his face, he carefully, placed the cap on Nasukis head. "_Thank you baby sister._" The boy said softly. "_I'm home."_

_I'm home._

I'm Home

The End

Heh I just had to write this. My spell check is broke and I have written for an hour and a-half. I write this because as humans who are alive. thing like this. they mean something. Something so very precious. Things like this are why Superheros will fight to save the people to the point of unconciousness, why people will risk their lives in those stupid crime shows to stop the bomb. because things like thins and people like this. It is worth fighting for…heh or something

Cheers!

By the way I don't know if Im supposed to do this but I told you I was inspired by a commercial right? well here is where I watched it at.

.com/watch/328434/touching_story/ Cheers

Please review….seriously it would mean a lot to me, id like to know people read this and if the emotions I put into it got acrossed.


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